Philippa Hanna - Through The Woods

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The anticipation for this album has been growing for a few years but now Philippa Hanna is ready to show the world her latest collection of songs. This new eleven track album called Through The Woods is her best album to date.

Fans of LTTM will know we have covered Philippa since the early years and have enjoyed every release she has produced, but this album has taken her to the next level. Last year Philippa supported soul legend Lionel Richie on 11 UK arena dates for his Tuskegee tour and last month she performed with her band to over 15,000...Read More The anticipation for this album has been growing for a few years but now Philippa Hanna is ready to show the world her latest collection of songs. This new eleven track album called Through The Woods is her best album to date.

Fans of LTTM will know we have covered Philippa since the early years and have enjoyed every release she has produced, but this album has taken her to the next level. Last year Philippa supported soul legend Lionel Richie on 11 UK arena dates for his Tuskegee tour and last month she performed with her band to over 15,000 people on the Main Stage of the Big Church Day Out. Philippa will be joining the stage with Stuart Townend for the Big Church Night In Tour this coming November to December across the UK, so plenty of people will be seeing this singer perform these new songs this year.

Opening track Lighthouse is what I would call classic Philippa. This solid single has some great country and folk inspired moments but most of all, the song is the complete package. There is a great melody that sets the stall for the whole album.

One of my favorite songs on the album has to be the quirky Daffodil Song. I couldn't stop singing the catchy chorus, "Everybody knows, that the flower never grows, down in the shadow where the sun doesn't reach". This summery track is a wonderful sparkling treat in the first quarter of the album and after you hear it you will dancing around the room.

Apples is another strong track that holds the album together, it's the core of the album. This gentle folk track has a nice flow to it, swaying across your ears like a fresh summer's morning. The lyrics are of top quality, as with the whole of the album, but lines like "When you're waiting for the kiss of life" and "When you can't see the Wood for the tree, you fall in love with every stranger you meet" are worth getting your ears into.

The strong and brilliant tracks keep coming. Cherry Coloured Coat is another great example of how talented this songwriter is. It took a while for me to really appreciate this song, but after a few listens you start hearing the clever moments of the song that you don't notice the first time around. The same could be said about Sharks, the quality of musicianship on these songs really is top quality.

The opening sounds of Hollywood feel a bit like the opening bar to a U2 number. But don't panic this really isn't a copy cat U2 track, instead it is classic Philippa again. This pop/acoustic melodic number has some great lines like, "With all those on-screen heroes, fairy tales just scattered on the cutting room floor."

Now we move on to a more modern pop feel with the track Fire. This has to be my favorite song on the whole album, with a pounding verse that draws the listener in straight away. The song then builds and builds into an epic chorus. "This fire, that burns for you... ohh oohhh ohhh ohhh". The production and style of this song shows that Philippa can match any singer out there at the moment.

The album takes a massive twist in style for the next two tracks. The piano is the prime instrument in It's Just A Song. As the title suggests, it's about songs and memories. You can listen to a song and it can take you back to a moment, be it a smell, sound, a time or even a friend. "It's just a song, but it makes me feel warm, every time I hear it. Cause each time it plays I can still see your face". This beautiful intimate love song sounds so gentle and alluring that you could easily imagine it being used in a big movie scene (you know, the montage scenes in romantic comedies that make you cry).

If the last track pulled at the heart strings, then the next track New For Old takes it to a whole new level. It is a storytelling, intimate, piano led song and I love the story about an old man who goes and gets people's old furniture every week and then spends his time and effort restoring them to look beautiful again. The way Philippa sings these songs is just monumental, her voice and a piano can captivate any room.

I love the way the melody of the chorus on Sweet Surrender lifts the album to a great ending crescendo. It really is an honor to listen to this album and review it. Philippa Hannah has one of those voices that reaches deep down into your soul. With a rich vocal and great songs, she is one artist you must check out. Through The Woods is a top quality album from a top quality artist. I'm sure this bunch of new songs will take Philippa to whole new places and I can't wait to hear them in a live setting. Let's hope she has her own arena tour soon.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 5 Out of 5 StarsStandout TracksDaffodil song
Fire
It's Just A Song
New For Old

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